![]() The game goes by the following rule: if you get hit, you die. Some portals slow certain things down, some turn you into a block, some make you really small, some turn dangerous projectiles into bubbles you can travel through, and all of them are used to progress through whatever area you get them in. ![]() Honestly, this is one of the best aspects of the game. Our portals must be used to interact with levers, movable blocks, high walls and platforms, and even monsters that Soli can use to advance through each level. Of course, this is only part of the game. The visual divide is always apparent, with colours contrasting and a hard, circular shape around Soli and the rest of the level to show the immediate area they have control over. It lets us peek between worlds, seeing platforms and objects – as well as monsters- that aren’t present in our “home” world. Portals can’t be used in every area, but when they can they all come with various effects. When Soli sets out on their quest to get crystals to unlock the path to Brom- the guardian of Vaiya, who can explain more about what’s to come- we begin our adventure. Yes, Unbound: Worlds Apart is a platformer, but the key mechanic of the game involves portals. I consider being able to see my character well the most important part of a platformer, and I never once struggled to see their bright colours against any area’s backdrop. ![]() Level design varies by area, and while some have a slightly muted or muddled colour palette- at least for me- Soli remains easy to see and thus advance through the levels. Enemy silhouettes all differ easily enough to quickly determine threat- and often times the design of the demons is enough to acknowledge their move sets before engaging them for the first time. There’s something enchanting about hand-painted or drawn visuals and backgrounds, and indie games often paint interesting characters, silhouettes, and contrasts that I seem drawn to. I looked the game up, saw the colourful character in the thumbnail, clicked through, and then watched the opening cinematic from there. Visuals are what initially drew me to Unbound: Worlds Apart. They’re the only one that can do this, and hopefully save everyone along the way. Apparently the creature that killed our hero’s parent was a Demon, and there’s a Demon Lord named Arawen that’s going to corrupt the entire Sea of Reality unless we can help defeat him. They offer insight into what once happened to their world- and apparently what’s about to happen to Soli’s. The animal companion that came through the portal at the beginning meets with Soli periodically as our hero adventures. Queue the gameplay, and the story progressing from there. Soli is their miracle, however, and they seem determined to stay alive despite all that they’ve witnessed. The village starts to burn, and Soli runs back to see Karra telling us to run and then being stomped on by some giant, spider-like creature. That crystal splits during a ceremony meant to help “spread the word of Rhy across the sea”- which is another word to talk about the collective space across multiple worlds. One of our parents is named Karra, and they tell Soli to go and play and that they’ll be right there one our hero gets back- which constitutes one of the most obvious warnings ever. For one reason or another, this stopped around the time Soli came to the village, or so we are told. The place that Soli is from has a large crystal that powers a magic gate, one that used to be used to travel to other worlds. It’s unclear precisely what caused this, but it seems our player character (Soli) is the one responsible for the portal opening somehow? Or, perhaps, it’s simply a side-effect of what happens next. Our little be-robed hero wants to play with the other children, then a portal opens, and then a strange creature appears. The game opens with a well-animated short-cutscene.
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